T/N: I"m trying to update on time each week and any comments left gives me that extra boost of energy so thank you for your support, even if I don"t reply to you individually know that I do read your comments!!!
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Hearing this Gao Zhen frowned, very unpleased he said, “LordSu, I respect that you are an imperial official, but you also cannot go overthe top, this is a private matter of our sect. What’s more this woman haswritten her will, even under our Hanzhen’s laws, outsiders cannot interfere.”
Su Qing Chen haughtily laughed once, saying, “I anEmbroidered Uniform Guard is strongly favoured by the emperor, control and leadthe guards, investigate and apprehend, and can act first, report later, do youthink I can do it?”
Gao Zhen’s complexion paled, very unsightly, currently thosenearby were believers of Tiangui, a hundred answers could reply to his singlecall, allowing Su Qing Chen to get here but unable to leave, however it wouldonly be a temporary win, later when the Embroidered Uniform Guards came tosettle the score at an opportune moment, it wouldn’t be enough for him to die ahundred times.
It was at this precise moment, the Xianjun suddenly openedhis mouth to say, “Gao Zhen, I can see it will be quite difficult to carry outthis ceremony today, since Lord Su is adamant on sticking up for this younglady, we will release the people.”
With an sickly face Gao Zhen looked at the Xianjun, the Xianjunhowever smiled, very magnanimously, he said, “You still don’t believe in myloyalty and dependability to the leader of the sect? I even offered up my ownmother, what else can I not do?” Speaking up to here his tone changed,containing some concern, “However going against the Embroidered Uniform Guardsright
now, it truly isn’t sensible, let us first take a step back, before reorganising.”
“Humph, I hope what you’re saying is true, otherwise thesect leader will make you die without an intact corpse!” Gao Zhen saidclenching his teeth.
Zhao Jin Yu was slightly sceptical, with just a few words ofSu Qing Chen, these followers of a basically evil sect would release adoptivemother, when they boarded the small boat, Zhao Jin Yu turned her head to lookat the lotus flower vessel, Gao Zhen looked gloomy, it was clear he was verydiscontent but again had no choice but bear it, and the Xianjun was still asexpressionless as before, making Zhao Jin Yu unable to grasp clearly histhoughts, the two people have been together for nearly ten years, she thoughtshe knew him very well, but in reality did she really understand him?
Chen Rong saw Zhao Jin Yu supporting a middle aged woman,her brows lightly wrinkled, saying, “This is…”
“This is my adoptive mother.” Zhao Jin Yu opened her mouthto say, “Auntie Chen, the situation is a bit complicated…” Ever since she hadbeen rescued by Zhao Jin Yu, Lady Zhuang was like a puppet, make her walkshe’ll walk, make her eat she’ll eat, now as Zhao Jin Yu introduced her she waslike a block of wood emotionlessly standing there.
After Chen Rong listened to the story, she was veryhelpless, pointing at Su Qing Chen she said, “Jin girl, you really can stir uptrouble, if it wasn’t for Lord Su extending his help, there would be one moreamongst those sacred women being presented for veneration, you.” Having spokenshe appeared to have a lingering fear, “Why aren’t you thanking Lord Su.”
Zhao Jin Yu was very smart, she bowed at Su Qing Chen,saying, “Many thanks Lord Su. Today us mother and daughter can only be reunitedbecause of your Lord’s contribution, I will never forget your kindness.”
Su Qing Chen was not at all a good person with pureintentions, but it did not stop him from accepting other people’s genuinegrat.i.tude, who doesn’t like being truly liked and thanked by others?
Besides hecould sense the original invisible divide between them had disappeared. ZhaoJin Yu had also removed her mask in front of him, increasingly truthful andpure, unexpectedly making him feel
a happiness he had not felt in a long time.
“It was no more than very slight effort, Lady Zhao don’t bepolite.” Su Qing Chen’s voice was gentle, with a tender gaze.
Auntie Chen saw there was an indescribable surge ofsentiment moving between the two people, she secretly cried out what bad luck,first Su Qing Chen rescued Zhao Jin Yu’s mother, now once more he had a gentleand forgiving manner, adoration of appreciation as well as a gentle low coaxingvoice, when she was younger she might have been able to resist, let alone theZhao Jin Yu who has been raised at home? She hurriedly said, “Lady Zhao, it’salready late, let us hurry on our way, if we don’t hurry we won’t find a tavernand it would be terrible to sleep outside in the countryside.”
Su Qing Chen actually very much wanted to go with them, hisoriginal a.s.signment after all was to protect Zhao Jin Yu! However Chen Rong’sgaze was on alert, a guarding glance, allowing him to know right now was not agood opportunity, he could only forcefully say, “Be careful on the road.”Initially it was merely a very simple urging, but at this moment it revealed asome tenderness he had not felt.
After they said a few things Zhao Jin Yu then went on herway.
Chen Rong sat at the front driving the carriage, Zhao Jin Yuand Lady Zhuang sat inside the carriage, jolting along the road, cold but notsaying it, the cold wind blew through the carriage window, the front entrance,rushing through all kinds of small cracks, Zhao Jin Yu was tightly wrapped inthe rabbit fur cloak, seeing Lady Zhuang’s complexion paling from the cold, shepa.s.sed the heater inher hand to her, saying, “Mother, your body is weak, use this.” Chen Rong hadonly thought it was
Zhao Jin Yu alone, that’s why she had only prepared onehand heater.
Lady Zhuang glanced at Zhao Jin Yu, that gaze was cold, shesaid, “I don’t need it.”
Lady Zhuang had an unyielding character, always keeping toher word, Zhao Jin Yu knew her temper, that’s why she didn’t dare to push it, sheonly moved to sit in front of the breezy places, thinking of blocking the windfor Lady Zhuang.
“That Lord Su has bad intentions, in the future have lessinvolvement with him.” Lady Zhuang suddenly said.
“Mother…”
Lady Zhuang looked at Zhao Jin Yu’s confused eyes, all of asudden she felt a little soft-hearted, saying, “When we reach the next tavern,we will part ways, from now on you are no longer a part of our Zhao family,each live our own lives.”
The rim of Zhao Jin Yu’s eyes suddenly reddened, saying,“Mother, I really don’t understand, how did things become like this, olderbrother why…, everything was fine before.” Zhao Jin Yu still remembers the daythe incident happened, adoptive father Zhao Chang Chun asked her jestingslightly, whether or not she wanted to always live at home…, she knew that wasasking her whether she was willing to marry her older brother.
She was naturally willing, almost ten years, to be precisenine years had pa.s.sed, Zhao Jin Yu and adoptive father, adoptive mother, aswell as brother have been together, the days pa.s.sed smoothly and plentifully,even though she wasn’t certain whether her dependence on her older brother wasromantic or not, but if she could pa.s.s these days like this, why would sherefuse?
However who could have imagined the next day everythingchanged, the Zhao family’s sky collapsed.
Lady Zhuang closed her eyes, expression indifferent, a goodwhile later Zhao Jin Yu then controlled her frame of mind, bowing her head notspeaking, she had a lot of questions in her mind, why older brother andadoptive mother abandoned her, why did they say they were going to her nativehome of Jinling to think of ways, but end up in the Tiangui sect, why…,adoptive mother had a manner of helping older brother to succeed even if she isburnt to death? Why right now she is not Lady Zhao but Lady Zhuang?
But she knew, Lady Zhuang would not tell her, if she kepther silence she also could only endure it.
From childhood the person she was scared of the most was notadoptive father Zhao Chang Chun but adoptive mother, her gentleness seemed toonly extend to adoptive father, towards older brother she was extremely strict,let alone her.
Seeing Zhao Jin Yu tuck her head in, dazed like an abandonedcub, a hesitant trace of tender-heartedness flashed through Lady Zhuang’s eyes,in the end it still became solid ice in the ice-cold winter.
Chen Rong spurred the horse to full speed, finally beforethe bottom of the mountain she saw a small town, after Zhao Jin Yu ate a yuxue pill her const.i.tution had improvedtwice over, resistant to falls and dizziness, she did not feel unwell at all sittingin a carriage even more jolty than a ship…, besides feeling a little cold.
Now she could feel a slight movement from the stone aroundher neck, she knew the stone was waking up, the things that had happened todaywas truly too hair-raising, she had stifled it all along, now she could finallyspeak thoroughly with the stone, even if the stone’s words were sometimes tooharsh and cruel, but it could not be denied that they were the truth, moreoverit was this cruel tongue…, because the truth made her feel a kind ofindescribable relieve.
However adoptive mother and Chen Rong were here, this wasnot the time to speak, she could only hold it in.
They entered the tavern, Chen Rong booked three rooms, shestayed in the middle room, to her left and right were Zhao Jin Yu and LadyZhuang, after everything had been appropriately arranged, the three people atetogether downstairs, Lady Zhuang conveyed her wishes to stay, she wasexpressionless, an extremely calm manner, “Lady Zhao and I are total strangers,even though I am grateful for Lady Zhao’s pity unable to see me die in thefire, that was however my wish, there’s nothing more to say.” Her tone on thecontrary held a kind of criticism that Zhao Jin Yu had meddled in otherpeople’s business.
Chen Rong glanced at Zhao Jin Yu with a desolate expression,her thoughts were also hard to calm, she said, “That’s right, I’ve alreadypreviously told Lady Zhao a person cannot be too kind, she however neverlistened to me, who would have imagined she would surprisingly ruin LadyZhuang’s plans, otherwise Lady Zhuang would now be in heaven, as a sacred womanof the G.o.d, living freely and at leisure.” Speaking up to here her tone changed,it was very mocking, “If something is to be blamed then it could only be thatLady Zhuang looks too much like Lady Zhao’s adoptive mother, who could remaincalm seeing their adoptive mother about to be burned to death? Since Lady
Zhuang’s mind has been made up, we won’t force you to stay.”
Each word of Chen Rong’s stabbed, if it was a normal personthey would have long ago been unable to stand against the insults, but LadyZhuang appeared to not care, serenely she said, “Thank you two.” Afterwards shedid not want to speak.
Zhao Jin Yu only felt her eyes quiver but there wasn’t adrop of tear, it was like there was a hole in her heart…, she knew the years ofmother and daughter feelings had already at last come to an end here.
At first Chen Rong was not so angry that it was unbearable,but in the end seeing such an unmoved Lady Zhuang, and a dispirited Zhao JinYu, she sighed, not speaking again.
After entering the room, Zhao Jin Yu took the stone out.
The emperor ate the old duck vermicelli soup that Zhao JinYu had deliberately taken upstairs, however his eyes revolved around Zhao JinYu’s face, he said, “What happened when we were not here?”
Zhao Jin Yu was stifling a bellyful of worries, hearing thestone’s sweet and familiar voice, she unconsciously told him everything,“Thanks to Lord Su…, actually he’s a really good person, I was prejudiceagainst him before.” Immediately her manner of speaking changed, shedisappointedly said, “Tell me if there’s anything trustworthy in the world? Isnine years of relationship merely a play in their minds?” Zhao Jin Yu wastalking about Lady Zhuang’s and her older brother’s heartlessness.
The emperor heard Zhao Jin Yu praise Su Qing Chen, his mindwas very upset, he only wished he could tell Zhao Jin Yu he had ordered Su QingChen…, if not on the basis of Su Qing Chen’s character of not doing anythingunless profitable, how would he have treated her a young lonely woman so wellwith no cause or reason? However these words could not be spoken, restraininghis temper, he said, “Even your adoptive mother turned hostile and heartless,let alone a total stranger Su Qing Chen? Is your brain packed with gra.s.s? Whydon’t you use your brain, he must certainly have some scheme!”
Zhao Jin Yu, QAQ
Seeing Zhao Jin Yu’s tearful eyes, once again the emperor’sheart softened, he didn’t know what was going on with this girl recently…, notretorting when angry, just looking like this wanting to cry but not cry, hefelt unquestionably distressed, forgetting everything.
“That Tiangui sect is an evil cult, since your older brotherhas already entered it, then he is no longer who he was before…, rescuing youradoptive mother today can be considered as having helped him, their kindness toyou has also been written off with one stroke.” The emperor spoke taking histime.
Zhao Jin Yu felt the stone’s voice contained some sense ofsoothing, she couldn’t help say, “En, at that time…, when I saw the personbeside the Xianjun my face turned green, those believers blocked the way, likea demon, do you think they will retaliate?”
“You can at last be considered to have matured a little, theway you slapped their faces today, how could they resign themselves? Theycertainly will retaliate, but today you can sleep at ease, nothing willhappen.”
Zhao Jin Yu increasingly felt the stone was extremely tenderand domineering today, in spite of him still being soaked in the vermicellisoup, lowering her head she kissed it, rubbing her lips full of grease, butbecause under the illumination of the lantern it looked even shinier and transparent.
The emperor had to use all abilities to regain his mind fromZhao Jin Yu’s lips, he only felt a ripple of unknown undulate in his chest, makinghim feel a trace of sweet feeling.